Czech Bread Soup (Chlebová polévka)

An old-fashioned Czech bread soup made from stale sourdough simmered with garlic and caraway, thickened with egg, and finished with cold butter and fresh parsley.

Course Soup

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Czech bread recipes, Easy recipes, Lenten meals

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 158kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth for meatless soup
3 slices sourdough bread stale, cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds crushed or whole
3 cloves garlic peeled and mashed
2 medium eggs
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter cold
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
½ teaspoon ground black pepper optional

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Add the bread. Bring 5 cups chicken broth to a boil in a pot. Add 3 slices sourdough bread cut into pieces.
Season and simmer. Lower the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, and 3 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the bread softens into the broth.
Whisk in the eggs. Beat 2 medium eggs in a cup. Pour them into the hot soup in a thin stream, whisking constantly, so they set into fine, silky threads. Cook for about 1 minute.
Finish with butter. Remove from the heat source. Drop in 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, and stir gently until it melts into the soup.
Taste and serve. Add more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley, and a little black pepper if you like.

Notes

Serves 6 as a light soup.
Bread: sourdough is best for its gentle tang; rye or a yeast-raised wheat-rye loaf also works. Avoid soft white sandwich bread, which turns mushy with no taste.
Eggs: keep the heat gentle once the eggs go in, and pour them in slowly while whisking diligently.
Broth: use chicken broth for a hearty bowl, or vegetable broth for a meatless, Lenten version.
Storage: keep in the refrigerator up to 2 to 3 days. The soup thickens overnight, so stir in a splash of broth or water as you reheat it gently. Do not freeze; the egg turns grainy and the bread goes mushy on thawing.
Handy conversion: 1.2 liters broth ≈ 5 cups.

Nutrition